The Queen, The Princess, and the Enchanted Crystal
by Ratoncuentacuentos
Summary: The people of Arendelle has overthrown their queen. Anna is missing and Elsa, alongside with Kristoff, look for her desperately. So they will begin a journey through faraway kingdoms, face old enemies and learn more about human nature, magic and themselves. Tribute to Disney and HC Andersen. Accompany them, voyager, in this story of bravery, friendship and courage!
1. To an undecided reader

"All we know is one thing: the world is magic" Ramón Lopez Velarde

To an undecided reader:

If tales about princesses and heroes at the rhythm of old songs: Cold, heat, faraway lands, forests, mountains, oceans, deserts, palaces, kings, battles between good and evil, powerful spells, luck, cleverness, despicable and noble acts; told as they were on better times can be enjoyed by the informed childhood and youth as well as I liked them, well it be! This one is for all of you!

If, on the contrary, today's reasonable young people does not wish to join the Snow Queen to spend the night, to look between treasures for the marvelous lamp, to climb a tower through a beautiful young girl´s hair or submerge to find the palaces on the sea's depths, So be it! I just ask for leave us to keep dreaming until we fade out: To them, with their magic and adventures; to me, with my stories.


	2. Introduction The world as it was before

**Introduction. The world as it was before**

So, do you want to know what happened with the Snow Queen? It's such a strange thing for a human like you. But, however! Human beings are strange creatures: they think that if their eyes have not seen something, it did not exist, neither can. They think yet a very wise person is whoever does not believe in anything and despises everything because, they say, he can see the world just as it is. But we cannot blame them, can we? Have not any human been under that spell? No, the poor creatures just ignore they are victims of an old illness and only God knows how many suffering they would have prevented to themselves if they were not. Said these things, let's begin, and when this story is over, maybe we could help them.

You must know, my voyager friend, that thousands of years ago, (more than men want to remember) the world was a more magical and wonderful place. Men used to live simple and happy lives: wars where strange events that happened just once on a century till some faction realized the tremendous nonsense they were doing; the strong ones used to help the weak ones, not abuse of them, and nobody had reasons to starve. Magic was the blessing of all intelligent creatures and it made their lives easier. If you could see that time, you would have loved to attend to their parties: it was a whole spectacle to watch the genies and goblins to pursue the human girls, nymphs, and other magical creatures at the sound of drums and flutes.

Yes! Humans were magical creatures too: Mother Nature gave them some of her gifts, so they could control some of her faces. There were who could speak the language of trees and flowers, others who used fire to illuminate the roads, to give warm and food; it also had been who could bring the winter and finish the plagues, or the ones who played with the seas and flows. She would let them to use her force for their benefit, in return, men would have to take care of her and protect her.

But, Voyager, I don't want to cheat on you neither. If it was right that most of the creatures were good, there were also bad ones. This was the case of a genie, the meanest of them all; some people say he was the Devil himself. One day, he was so good-humored and decided to play a trap to mankind, so he created a mirror with the power to do everything beautiful and good reflected on it to be reduced till almost nothing. Instead, everything that was bad and horrific, no matter how small, grew until nothing else was seen. He came out of his cave in the desert and every time he found a human he showed him his creation: The most precious girl was deformed to be unrecognizable, pleasant words or poetry would become insults and affront, and any sensible thought would twist until it became a total madness. To the genius, all this made him squirm with laughter.

Many men thought they saw a miracle: "But what fools we have been!" They said, "Now we can finally see the world as it is!" After a while, the inevitable arrived and humans became despots, egocentric and cruel. Relatives and friends turned the slightest argument into fights to death, and the slightest defect in their appearance made them look like disgusting beings. The worst thing happened when the kings looked at the mirror because, at the smallest difference, wars broke out between all countries. Each kingdom believed to be the most good and intelligent people and saw all the others as inferior beings, jealous of their superiority who would attack at any moment. Their magic gifts turned out to be very effective weapons and they did not hesitate to use them to burn, freeze, drown, strike, maim, or to let starve everyone considered as a content with harming each other, humans also hunted the other intelligent creatures until they almost disappeared; those who remained preferred to hide from them even today.

Mother Nature looked at the disaster around her and got devastated, so she decided to take away her gifts before they completely annihilated themselves, she also raised mountains and opened oceans to separate them. Over time, humans evolved in different ways. The warriors on the other side of the river began to wear bear skins instead of eagle headdresses which, as we all know, is the right, fine and elegant thing to do; The people on the valley wore cotton robes, unlike the obscene inhabitants of the coast who went almost naked everywhere. The language of the others became incomprehensible and their deities demanded strange ceremonies and sacrifices.

But the genie was not willing to stop the fun so easily: he tried to climb to the highest sky, ready to cover the entire celestial vault with his invention so every creature that lifted up its eyes would no longer recognize the glory of God in it; on the contrary, it would end up seeing as detestable all things in heaven and earth.

But when he elevated, he felt a sharp pain in the back, hauled and dropped the mirror. While his invention fell, a glacial storm fragmented it into thousands of pieces spread all over the world; the seas sank some pieces and the trees hid others among their roots. Mother Nature had allowed some humans, who by luck or skill had fell under the spell, to retain their magic. And although they defeated the genie and locked him in the center of the planet, where he will remain forever; they could not prevent pieces from falling in the eyes or hearts of some men. Fearful that this horror could happen again, she ordered the last magical humans to seek the remains of the mirror and hide them where no one could find them.

And so it was during the first generations, helping a humanity who barely knew their existence, they gathered lost pieces and hid them around the world, hoping no one ever finds them. However, years became centuries, and through time they found fewer and smaller pieces, until the mission became practically unrealizable. Many of the descendants had lost their powers long ago and came to think that the mirror was just a myth: "Our grandparents say nonsense: there is not such mirror and magic power, we should go with men to live as normal people," And so they thought and did.

For thousands of years, it was believed that everything that had to do with magic was just a story to entertain children, well, until recently. You have already heard of Queen Elsa of Arendelle and how she froze her kingdom some years ago; well, all is true! And also what happened next! Wait, do you not know? Then, voyager, please, get comfortable and come closer to the fire. Although less known, it´s a story worth to be told.


	3. 1 The Crystal Rain

**First Story: The crystal rain**

This was a couple who loved each other very much. They were very different, so it would seem a miracle that they were together. He was a delivery man: he had always had a simple, worry-free life with his best friend, a reindeer named Sven. She was a princess: she had grown up in a palace surrounded by all the candy, toys and books a girl could wish for, but with no one to share them with. Those differences, which people would comment on, made them incompatible, only made them love each other even more.

The princess's sister was of the Snow Queen, and although the two of them had always lived in the same castle, she did not really know her until the day of her coronation; when a very strong snowfall occurred where the princess met her beloved delivery man and was rescued by her sister from a foreign prince's ambition. From then on, the queen professed her sister one love that grew day by day, she loved her as a mother loves a good child. Her sister's name was Elsa, who ruled the kingdom of Arendelle with benevolence and, although being a queen was a job that always got her occupied, she always sought to take advantage of any free time to be with the princess.

The delivery man was named Kristoff and the princess, Anna. They had their rooms facing each other across a long corridor. During the summer, when the days seemed to have no end, he dedicated to delivering ice created from the Queen's hands across the village. When he finished, after a hard day, he went with his girlfriend and they went out together to have fun. Anna used to take him to the village to eat or dance, even if Kristoff was not a good dancer and on more than one occasion he ended up walking on her feet. He, on the other hand, liked to take her to the woods, where he taught her how to ride his reindeer (more stubborn than any horse) and the secrets he had learned from the trolleys to live in it. They spent whole days looking for berries and truffles, returning with full baskets that later the royal bakers converted into cakes.

On warmest days, people used to open time spaces to rest, including the queen. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, along with many people in town went then to the bay to take a dip; That is to say, when the queen's feet touched the water, it lowered its temperature several degrees, which after walking in the midday sun, gave an incredibly refreshing feeling. On other occasions, she covered the courtyards with ice and invited to skate anyone who wished to; Among them, there were those who brought food, drink and musical instruments, thus improvising parties that extended until late at night.

But in winter everything changed, including the people's mood. The sharp wind was blowing; the streets were covered with snow so that the inhabitants had to break through strides. The nights were becoming almost eternal, and once the excitement of Christmas holidays had passed, there was not much left to do but take advantage of the few hours of light and spend the evenings heating on the burning of the stove. The trees and shrubs are covered with frost, as if all the branches were transformed into a white coral forest. Queen Elsa, unlike the inhabitants of Arendelle, embraced winter as part of her being: when the sun shone, everything flashed as if it had scattered diamonds: "How magnificent is winter! The summer Sun has not a more beautiful spectacle!" she thought.

Sometimes she stayed out hours watching the snowflakes fall, then her sister came and the Queen used to tell her: —Anna, Look!— Then the flakes grew larger and looked like precious roses made of glass. — All of them are small pieces of art, for me they are much more beautiful than real flowers.

—They are very beautiful, Elsa.

—And they are so different! There is no one like the other. But that's the way I love them, they're beautiful and perfect, each one in its own way.

—They're just like you: you're very different from other people. But we love you this way and we would not wish it to be otherwise. — Her sister answered.

Elsa then took her in her arms and kissed her forehead. Anna felt a chill current running from her forehead to the tip of her toes and trembled; nevertheless, she did not separate from her sister or wanted to do it neither.

There were nights when the weather turned especially cold: the land became hard and icy, the windows blurred and creaked because of the cold and only a fool would have dared to leave his house. Those nights, the Snow Queen used to come out of her palace to walk through the village, go over the fjords and woods or travel on the frozen sea. At that moment she felt free of all burdens, she could breathe freely and glide over the icy wind. She would have wanted her family to accompany her, but they could not tolerate the same temperatures as her and while they could only go out for a few minutes, she could spend the whole night there. Anna and Kristoff loved the winter the way they loved Elsa, but they also knew it could be dangerous.

Instead, the couple spent those nights in the library in the heat of a bonfire and drinking hot chocolate. Kristoff played songs on his lute and told her stories the trolls had taught him; Anna used to take some books from the shelves and then read them together. She confessed that, as a child, she spent a lot of time in that place and had read almost all the books, even the boring ones. But those who had liked the most were those who talked about adventures: brave deeds, long journeys, distant and exotic places, magic and extraordinary people.

—I almost never left the castle—the princess said. — When I was tired, all I had to do was to take one of these books and, bam! I felt that I grew wings and could travel wherever I wanted: Agrabah, China, Atlantis and accompany all these characters in their adventures: There were no limits!

Her eyes shone with childish spirit on every occasion she showed him an illustration of Aladdin and the wonderful lamp, The Wizard of Oz or The ballad of Fa Mulan.

Kristoff took her hand and said.—I promise you that someday we will travel the world, and we will go to those places. — He smiled at Anna and kissed her hot lips.

The only objection was the queen. The princess was afraid to leave her sister alone for a long time and how would she take it. Elsa did not like the idea of leaving the kingdom for a vacation, but neither did that her sister go away for weeks or months.

She knew that, if it had been for the queen, Elsa would have spent all her time with her sister and tried to be as relaxed as her brother-in-law; At every opportunity, she would fill her of all the affections and attentions she denied her for many years; She would do everything possible to stop her from seeing that castle as the place that cloistered her as a child and turn it into a real home, she would never leave her again. But the princess was restless in nature and liked to go from one place to another, whether in the village or its surroundings. Sometimes, when the princess left the castle, alone or with her boyfriend, the queen became nervous, especially when it was too late. When that happened, she left a small trail of snowflakes around her; the others in the castle realized and were saddened for her.

The days became longer, announcing the arrival of spring. The first birds arrived and everybody in town waited anxiously for the snow soon to give way to the flowers. One day before the equinox, while the queen was arranging business affairs with her minister and Kristoff was leaving for his first work day after the frost, Princess Anna wanted to go for truffles along the riverbank.

—I'll send my sister a cake with these. —She thought as she picked up a few. I'm sure she'll like the surprise.

—How well the years have treated Queen Idunna! It seems she has not aged!—She heard from the other shore. At first she was frightened, and then she calmed down to see that a mountain troll, similar to those who nursed Kristoff, was coming out of rocks.

—Hello!—Said the princess.

—I am very happy to see you, Your Majesty. — We have not seen each other for a long time.

—Forgive me, little friend,—she interrupted. —You're confusing me. Queen Idunna was my mother and passed away years ago, my name is Anna, Anna of Arendelle.

The troll bowed a little exaggeratedly. — Oh, sorry to hear that and I apologize! I have never understood the time of humans and sometimes I get confused. I'm looking for an old troll named Grand Pabbie. Do you know him?

Anna answered affirmatively, he was the closest thing to a father-in-law he had. The troll told him that he had been lost days and asked if she could take him to him. Anna, who knew very well that she should not accept invitations from strangers, wanted to decline politely; But it was the troll's insistence so that he ended up accepting and they entered the forest towards the top of the mountains

Kristoff finished his day when it began to get dark. Exhausted, he returned to the castle, left Sven in the shade, gave him food and retired to rest. But before reaching his room, he noticed traces of snow on the corridors: "Now what happens to Elsa?" He thought, threw himself on his bed and lay there for a long time, just beginning to fall asleep when a servant knocked on the door and told him that the queen was calling him.

The queen was surrounded by her own snowfall when Kristoff appeared before her.

—Did not Anna come with you? — She asked.

—I thought she was in the palace, she was asleep.

—She has not arrived since morning! I've sent a brigade to look for her, but she has not returned! —Cried Elsa.

Her eyes grew wet and the objects around her began to cover with frost. Kristoff feared she'd freeze the room and leaned lightly on her shoulder.  
—Hey, let's not worry, we know Anna well: she may be unquiet and a little dreamy, but she knows how to take care of herself. I'm sure that she will appear soon. Look, I'm going to do this: I will go with my family, the mountain trolleys and ask for her, they surely know where she is, we will find her and tomorrow we will all laugh at this.

The queen smiled and the snow stopped. The young man went out at the balcony and looked up, watching the night sky for a moment.

—Well done! It's a magnificent idea and very beautiful, by the way! With these lights, Anna will surely know that you are looking for her. But, Elsa, I did not know you could make them that color. How did you make purple lights?

He watched the northern lights dancing capricious and graceful over the town of Arendelle, thinking that Anna would see them and appear soon.

—I'm not doing anything. — The queen replied. — I could feel it.

—Then who does it?

It looked like a shoal with thousands of little fishes performing a dance between calm water streams: from top to bottom, from left to right. Suddenly, the little fishes gathered on the zenith so that there seemed to be no room for any more movement of their fins, then they tightened themselves more until the shoal exploded and countless blue sparks fell upon the village.

The inhabitants of Arendelle thought that it was beginning a snowstorm. Maybe spring would be late that year. If they had observed better, they would have realized that the crystals were larger and much less perfect than ordinary snowflakes. "More snow a day before spring?" One complained. "It must be the queen's work," thought another. "She is not happy that winter has passed and now she wants to take us out of the spring!", "She will freeze us to death to feel free!" "I always thought she is dangerous!" "We must do something or she will impose the winter forever!" These and other less noble words ran quickly among the whole town.

The queen did not know what was happening, but just a few minutes later, a noisy crowd gathered in the palace and she had a bad feeling. Then the minister entered his office, pale and trembling, barely able to speak for his stuttering.

—Something happens? — Asked Queen Elsa.

—Majesty, they think you are sending a snowfall to prevent reaching of the spring. I tried to explain them the absurdity of what that was, but when I went out to speak, they took my escorts and pounded them with sticks.

—What should I do? —She said frightened.

— Save yourself!

A small regiment of soldiers was assembled on the outskirts of the castle with bayonets on the shoulder. The mob, armed with sticks, hammers, truncheons and axes, rushed over them, breaking several skulls before the officers realized what was coming upon them. The people of Arendelle came to the door burning in wrath, collapsed it and scattered in the castle. Kristoff took the queen by the arm, driving her to the stable and rode Sven:

—I thought your people loved you. — said the young man, but Elsa was too confused to answer. He harnessed the animal and galloped toward the exit. Elsa lifted a barrier of ice, separating them from the angry mob and escaping into the woods.

—This is what the Snow Queen does: she threatens us with her ice, but we are not really afraid, look how she runs away from us! Get out, monsters! Get out of here or we'll kill you! — And Elsa heard those shouts that broke the soul. Arendelle was lost in the distance while, in the midst of all the confusion, she wondered about her kingdom, her sister and lamented: "Now I have nothing left!".


	4. 2 The magic woman who lived in the fore

**Second Story: The magic woman who lived in the forest**

They ran away as fast as they could following the river shore and did not stopped until dawn, when the poor reindeer decided that he couldn't resist anymore and stopped in such a way that his two riders almost flew off in the air.

—That was a good race, buddy.—Said the young man as he caressed it's back.

They found themselves on the heart of a dark and lonely forest, the trees extended high and wide till the sight reached and a solemn silence ruled all over the place, only interrupted by the gurgle of the river and sticks balancing on the wind. The queen was shocked, deep inside her, she hoped to discover that everything was nothing but a bad dream. But the pain in her heart reminded her that it was a very real thing, so she kneeled on the river shore and cried:

—Anna, my little sister! Where is my sister?—And her tears flowed into the river, turning into snowflakes as big as white fishes. Kristoff felt her sorrow too, inasmuch as Anna was the person that he most loved in the world.

—I don't understand what happened—The queen cried.— I thought they had accepted me and my powers!

—That is why I don't like people. They say a lot of things and try to gain your trust, but when you turn your back, they throw you a kick. That's the main reason why my best friend is a reindeer.

But the queen was too anguished to listen to him.

—People of Arendelle wanted to kill me! What if they found Anna? What if they harmed her? She could be lost or hurt, I don't want to imagine it!—She imagined the worst situations and her sobs grew stronger. So Kristoff took her by her arms and shaked her.

—Stop it!— He said firmly. —Stop it now! You think that Anna cannot live without you by her side, but it's not that way. She doesn't want the castle or the chocolates, does not want the parties, nor the snow games. Those walls locked her during too much time and, even if you have good intentions by having her at your side, cannot hold her anymore.

Then the queen wanted to answer a lot of things, but none got out of her mouth. Both stared each other fixedly and kept silence a moment until they calmed.

—Listen, I´m sure she is alive and she is fine. Anna is a smart girl, if she saw something of what we saw, she surely didn't come back to town and looked for some safer place.

—But where is she? Where are we?— Elsa asked.

Then realized they were as lost as the princess they were looking for. During some moment of their escape, they have crossed the border of the kingdom and none of both knew that part of the woods.

—I don't know. But we cannot do much for today— And he pointed the exhausted reindeer laying on the floor. — Come here, curl up over Sven ant try to calm down. Tomorrow we will go downstream.

—Why downstream?

—Why not? We will never find her if we don't start on one , I don't think she have gone further away on foot than us on a reindeer; It will be a good place to start.

They rested that day and, at the following dawn, they began to march. The last rests of snow had disappeared and the firsts flowers were also waking up at the river bank. They seemed as looking for reach the water, extending their stems and leaves to refresh themselves with some drops and shake the lethargy of a long winter's night away. The water was so clear they could see their silhouettes reflected between multicolor pebbles. For a moment, Elsa could relax and admire the beautiful spectacle of the changing landscape, also feel the first truly warm sunrays in months. That was an authentic comfort to her heart. Kristoff, on his way, was happy to return to nature, feel the humidified air and breathe the scent of pines, firs, oaks and wet soil, stretching his legs besides Sven once more.

On the third day, the forest became less dense and, in some point of their way, they surrounded a huge boulder. As soon as they listened the water sound again, they retook their course one day more with the hope of finding the way to their kingdom. Their hurry was justified: they ran out of food that day and Kristoff had to harvest some wild nuts to continue, but did not find any sign of the kingdom and walked one day more. Fate wanted them to find a very cute house with straw roof in the ancient way, walls covered with green climbing plants and a huge garden with plants and herbs from all parts of the wall, but no flower at all.

Tired and hungry, they knocked the door and an advanced age lady opened, who welcomed them willingly.

—Creatures!— The lady exclaimed. —What are you doing so deeply into the woods? Come in, please, come in.

They came into the house and entered to a beautiful but humble hall. The old woman walked very bowed, took Elsa's hand with affection and sat down their visitors on two little wooden chairs near the table. On the kitchen (that also was the dining room and the hall) a cauldron bubbled a substance which perfumed the place with a delicious smell that instantly made them feel wonderful.

She was not a bad witch, but she knew the arts of magic and sometimes liked to practice with people for not losing the habit. So she added some powder to their drinks and gave them to her guests. Also gave them to eat roasted duck, warm bread, dry fruit and cupcakes. To Elsa and Kristoff, who in the past two days ate nothing but seeds, it was like tasting a more delicious delicacy than anything cooked on palace and devoured everything till they fell asleep.

Some days passed and they still were on that little house. The woman made them every kind of attentions and soon she took them affection: She always wanted to have a boy and a girl, but never made it. Along a lot of years, her only company were the flowers, beautiful and charming, as only they can be: The only problem is that, sometimes, they are terribly distracted and can hardly concentrate in more than one thing at the time. If we add that, as most of the beautiful beings, they use to be too vain, too busy with their own stories to listen someone else's.

Anter a few weeks, Kristoff and Elsa did not remember what or who they were looking for at first place anymore: they helped the woman with her labors meanwhile the reindeer walked playing around the garden. Sometimes, early in the morning or after a hard work day, they had the sensation of being forgetting something important. Then the woman came with a cold drink and that awkward sensations disappeared. So time passed. On a sunny, shining and fresh morning, like those just april can bring to us, Elsa wanted to take a walk on the garden.

—What a lovely morning! Don't you think, my dear?— The lady greeted, Elsa did not answered, she looked the garden's plants in silence, and silent sighs escaped from her lips as she seemed to have forgotten to laugh. — What's going on, child? You look like if you were suffering for being born.

The old lady looked her beautiful and sad figure. She understood that her chest locked a stinging pain, but her head didn't realized why, filling her with anguish.

—Your garden is really nice.— She commented, making an effort to smile— Every time I see it, it seems like something has changed. But why don't you have flowers? Don't you like them?

— Of course I like them!— She answered and became closer to Elsa, whispering so nobody could heard her. — They are my best friends, but they are too shy with strangers, especially when one of them is the Snow Queen.

Elsa jumped, since she had not used used her powers in front of her. She had not realized that at night, when she was deeply relaxed, little snowflakes fell on her; in the same way that some people snore when they sleep.

The woman irradiated a childish smile, jumped little leaps and her eyes got wet:

—I'm so happy to see at the end of my days another magic person! I don't know why the destiny took you to my door, my dear, but we magics must take care of each other. My friends! Wake up! There's nothing to be afraid of! Come out! Come out!

At the moment, the most beautiful flowers of all shapes, sizes and colors sprouted throughout the garden. Like beautiful girls after waking up from a long sleep, they stretched out their little leaves and petals to receive the rays of the sun. Fresh air blew and shook gracefully, as if to say to Elsa: "How good it is here!"

It was a delightful spectacle, the old lady, trembling, looked at the flowers that adorned the whole place as they did in her youthful days: seeing them, the world became young again. Elsa could not believe what she saw.  
The woman explained that just as Elsa had been born with power over snow and ice, she had been born with the gift of talking to flowers and trees: "It is true that flowers do not have tongue like us. But have you not seen how the wind sways over them? How they are joined together by moving their petals and leaves? That is the language they speak and I can understand. They bring the stories of the wind, which travels to all corners of the world and so tell stories true or invented. Don't you believe me? Come on, ask them whatever you want."

Elsa was fascinated of what she was telling her and the tremendous loneliness that had been with her all the morning disappeared for a while. But in that instant, the powder which made her forget lost it's effect and she remembered the expulsion from her kingdom and her lost sister. She felt a sharp pain in her heart and regretted for having forgotten her mission. She approached to the daffodils and asked: "Do you know where is Anna, where is my sister?"

— Who is that Anna you are talking about? She cannot be that important if we don't know her. But, look how beautiful our petals are! Do you know that the Sun, the sky and this garden were made so that we can they can look better?

—Oops, sorry!—Said the old woman.—I forgot that daffodils just talk about themselves. Try with the roses, maybe they can help you.

Elsa approached to the bush where the roses were swaying and refreshed with the dew, se became so close that she almost touched them with her lips, which were almost the same color: "Do you know where is my sister?" She repeated, and her voice trembled when asked: "Is my sister alive?"

—Anna of Arendelle is not dead.— the roses answered.— There is no one in the land of the dead who answers that name. Where does she walks among the living, the wind does not knows well. The place where she ran out is not the same as it was, the throne is empty and many want to sit on it. Men there have fallen under an old evil, their hearts are contaminated and won't accept anybody different from them. Go south, Snow Queen, to the warm land where our cousins, the jasmines, grow. You will find a solution there

—Is Anna there?— Elsa Asked, but the roses did not answered.

—Your sister is missing!— The lady exclaimed, who, we must remember, was a good woman. —Beautiful creature, forgive this old woman who just wanted to practice her magic!— And hit her own forehead several times until Elsa stopped her.

"Elsa, we have a problem!", Kristoff yelled. As soon as he recovered his memory, he ran to to the garden's gate, looked the old lady suspiciously and just said:

—We have to move now, we are being too late.

Elsa assented and the old lady looked down, because she knew she would be alone again. Then the queen explained to her friend what just happened in the garden and what the flowers told her.

—We must go south.— She insisted.

"After all we have been through, It does not seem so crazy to me that the flowers can speak. ", Kristoff thought. He took his reins and put them on Sven, he rode the animal and held out his hand for Elsa to ride behind him. But first the lady took the young woman between her trembling hands and kissed her forehead; she haver her a blessing and a warning.

—Listen, gorgeous, I am telling you this because I want your good: If people in your kingdom expelled you because of your magic, you don't have to feel bad about it. Men fear what they don't know and what is not like them. They harmed themselves because of this during so much time that it seems like it always was like this. May you cannot change that, but you don't have to suffer for it either. Magic people must take care of each other and, when you find your sister, the doors of my house will be always open for you, so you can live peacefully.

Elsa smiled at her with great tenderness and nodded. Took Kristoff's hand, rode the reindeer and headed south. They entered again into the forest, which had lost its solemnity and now covered with life, it was spring at all her abundance. Little birds jumped from branch to branch as butterflies flew between the clearings. The floor was covered by tall green grass like a magnificent rug that invited them to sit on it. They slept under the stars, and it seemed to them that no king with all his gold could have a more beautiful bedroom.

—Look at the clouds!—Elsa said.— It's going to rain.

—Those are no clouds.— Kristoff answered.— Those are mountains. We will be on them tomorrow and I think you will like to be at the cold air again. To the other side is the sea and, If we are lucky, will find some shipman who help us to go further south.

So they closed their eyes curled up on the warm back of the reindeer.


	5. 3 The Princess of Corona

**Third Story: The Princess of Corona**

What happened to Anna during all that time? To know that, we must go back where we left her the last time. It happened that the troll where three days lost and could not find the mountain he was looking for. He asked the princess of Arendelle to be kind enough to take him in front of Pabbie and was so insistent that Anna ended up accepting. So they went together to the mountain where rocks take life.

As they were walking through the green forest, the princess had the chance to meet her new little friend better: He was a cousin of Grand Pabbie and was made of stones of the same mountains: "Right there, farther away from the sea", he said. Had been going many years as a wandering troll, travelling around the world and roaming many countries: cold and warm ones, big and small, powerful and humble, so he knew how were nations like and the creatures who lived there. Anna listened to him fascinated, for many of his descriptions reminded her of the books she had loved so much as a child. The troll decided to go back to that country of mountains, mist and northern lights to give Pabbie a surprise. Although, apparently, it had taken more than he believed, since the last time he had been there, Queen Idunna had just married King Adgar.

—I apologize again for having mistaken you.— He regretted.

Anna repeated that it didn't matter. Almost at the top of the mountain, the princess felt she was short of breath. But at last they arrived to a very strange clearing where no grass grew at all, neither were leaves on the floor nor heard the birds sing, just some stones covered with moss resting peacefully between silence. Anna greeted them with joy so anyone could think she was out of her mind, but her troll friend didn't, nor you, voyager, nor me. The stones shook and the curious mountain trolls awoke so when they saw the girl, got very happy and began to jump with their heavy and enormous feet.

—Anna is here!— They exclaimed.— Hooray! We have visits!

The troll children came near to her skirt, rolling their tiny but weighty bodies towards her.

—Why have you not came, Anna?— The children asked.— Have you forgotten us?

—I could never forget you.—The princess answered as she stroked the hair of one of them and looked at him tenderly.

—So, where did you leave our Kristoff?— Asked a troll woman.— Neither has he deigned to come.

—Well, I cannot being with him all the time, but he says that he misses you a lot and, as soon as he can, he will come to visit. — She invented this last part, for she knew that if she told them that she had not planned to go with them in first place, they could have taken it wrong. They were made of stone, but could be very sensitive inside.— I'm looking for Grand Pabbie, is he with you?

—Anna,it is nice to see you. What brings you here?— Said the smiling old troll at the top of a rock, leaning on his staff

—Pabbie, you look as ugly as I remembered!— Laughed the visiting troll.

—I think you know this little friend— Said Anna.

Grand Pabbie assented:

—Moss Breathe, It has been a while since last time I saw you around. What does the world outside says?

—A lot of things, cousin, I have many stories to tell you, besides, I've been learning some magic.

—Then be welcome, you know this is your house. Come with me and let's catch ourselves up.

Then the two trolleys gathered behind a large stone to speak in private.

Anna looked at the sky and observed the descending Sun, thought that she had been too much time outside and got too far from the village. She rose up and wanted to say goodbye to the trolls.

—But, How? You have just came. — They complained.

—I have to see my sister, you already know how she gets when I don't get into the castle on time.

She felt a slight pull on her skirt and when she turned, saw the littlest and most adorable of the trolls looking at her with praying eyes. —Do you really have to go? Stay a little while more, please.

She tried to say no, but her heart didn't make it to resist the children's pleas and accepted to stay: "But just a little more" she said. Nevertheless, as we all know, times goes in two shakes when we are having fun and the princess stayed playing with the children all the evening, even time after the Sun hid. If it were not thanks to the capricious Northern Lights, who knows how much more time she would have stayed.

—Oh, my God!— The princess exclaimed. —It's too late, my sister must be so much worried.

Meanwhile, the trolleys watched charmingly the unstopping and mystic game of purple and green lights. They have seen Northern Lights several times, but none of them like that one. "It's Elsa", said Princess Anna for herself, "She is surely looking for me". Everybody were happily enjoying such spectacle, everybody but the two oldest trolls: Grand Pabbie and Moss Breathe, who watched the lights carefully: It's movement was strange and so were it´s colors, it seemed so they did not like what they saw.

I have not seen lights like those since centuries ago. What do you think, Moss Breathe?— The trolls patriarch asked.

—On my concern, never, but it might have something to do with magic.

The lights joined together on the top of the sky. They looked like a tiny purple sun with greenish rays which overshadowed the other stars in the sky. Suddenly, the tiny sun exploded into sparks which fell towards the village of Arendelle in the form of large snowflakes.

— I don't like this at all. —Murmured the old troll.

Anna said goodbye to almost everyone and was almost ready to go home. But when she went to see the patriarch, his expression turned dim and rose his voice, severe to the princess:

— Stop, you cannot go back to Arendelle:

Confused, Anna asked him for explanations.

—There is no time, you must get away from there as soon as possible.— He took her with his big stone hands and tried to take her into the woods, but the girl resisted:

— What's the problem? It's just Elsa, she surely wants me to go back home, It's not a big deal.— Anna insisted.

— Listen, my dear, I have studied magic all my life and I can assure you that your sister did not make such thing.

Grand Pabbie pulled her arm, the few words he told her were too ambiguous. Anna did not understanded why the troll was so troubled and began to feel nervous.

— I just can tell you this: if it is what I think it is, we are talking about an evil older than these mountains.

The princess stopped immediately, her heart filled with anguish and worry at the thought of Elsa, Kristoff, and the possibility that they were in grave danger. Pabbie tried to calm her down, ordered two trolls to go rolling as fast as they could to see what was happening in Arendelle and promised Anna that they would make sure they were safe and sound. But Anna didn't hear anything and insisted him to let her go: "If they are in danger, I must see them!", yelled. She felt fear for her family, was so frightened that a couple of tears began to flow over her cheeks as she tried to free herself. The patriarch, although he was made of stone, was devastated to see her like this.

— I'm sorry, Anna, I'm really sorry. — He wailed, put his hand on the princess forehead so she immediately fell in a deep sleep.

* * *

Awakened: The sun was flowing among green branches that swayed gracefully, birds sang happily from branch to branch with their queek-queek; wild flowers emerged through the shrubs or under the shade of the trees, spread their petals and flooded the air with their scents. The princess rubbed her eyes, stretched her thin arms and looked around without recognizing where she was.  
—Oh, the sleeping beauty has awakened! Good morning, good morning!— A voice exclaimed behind her, it was Moss Breath.

When the girl regained consciousness, the troll explained that she had been asleep for three days, during which he had carried her on his back. He also told her what happened at Arendelle; the riot, and how the queen and the young man had managed to escape, although, unfortunately, no one knew where they were. The princess covered her face with her hands:

—I thought the people of Arendelle had no more trouble with Elsa's powers. What happened?— She wondered.  
And although Moss Breath suspected several reasons, he preferred to remain silent; Unlike humans, trolls don't usually explain what they do not know. Instead,he thought about helping her in another way:

—Come on, come on. Let me take you with your family, after all, we are not far from them.

—Can you take me with Elsa and Kristoff? Asked Anna.

—No one knows the whereabouts of your sister or your boyfriend, I don't even know how do they look like. But they are not your only family. Not far from here, a little further to the east, is the kingdom of Corona where I am sure they will welcome you with open arms. There lives a queen who I think can help you with your sister, it seems like she already have experience with magical girls.

The princess got up and together they walked down an earthy path through the copse. Since he no longer had to carry the young girl in the back, the troll was in wonderful humor and talked with her all the way. Anna asked him what did he mean when saying the kings of Corona had already dealt with magical powers and so, as they went along the road, the troll told her the following story:

"I have been told, Princess, about girl as precious as the sun who possessed an extraordinary gift in Corona: her hair, golden and shining like the very Sun, could heal any wound, no matter how terrible, and could preserve youth in anyone. When she was very young, an evil witch kidnapped her and locked her up in a tall tower in order to keep her power to herself. Years passed and the girl grew into a beautiful young woman. One day a bandit came to the tower and kidnapped her. But the girl was very clever and, in return for a heavy bribe, made him change his mind to take her to Corona.

After facing many dangers in the way, they arrived at the kingdom. There they discovered that the girl was actually the princess whom the kings had desperately searched for years. The witch, realizing that the princess escaped with the bandit, set a trap for both of them, made them separate at a certain point and then locked the girl back while he was seized by the king's soldiers.

By that time, bandit and princess had fallen deeply in love. And you must know that there is no cell that can contain a heart in love, so the bandit managed to escape and ran ready to take the girl out of her prison once and for all. However, the witch was already waiting for him and wounded him deadly on the back. Nevertheless, before giving its last sigh, he managed to cut the long hair of the princess, annulling all its powers and reducing the witch into ashes. The princess cried very much when she saw her beloved dying in her arms, but a little of her power remained in her tears, and when those fell on the wound of the bandit, he regained his strength. Now, the two are happily married and live in Corona next to the kings who have recovered joy.

—It's a pretty nice story, but what does it have to do with Elsa and Kristoff?

— The kings of Corona are also your family and know well the problems that a magical person can have can have. Don't you think it's an excellent beginning to look for your sister ? She could be even there, after all, Elsa seems to be an intelligent person. Yes, yes! It's probable that she is there, and even if she were not so, I am sure that they could help you there, as surely as the floor that I step. Come, follow me, we are not too far!

They walked all day and darkness came. The next morning they continued until the sun reached its highest point. Anna felt the warm spring air become wet as they descended a hill. They reached the shores of a beach full of round, smooth stones, with so calm waters that they gave the impression of being in front of a lake rather than the ocean. To the east, a long stone bridge crossed the sea to a great summit on which rose, proud and colorful, the city of Corona.

—I stop here— Said the troll. —You're a pretty nice girl, but I cannot stand being surrounded by so many humans.

What a beautiful sight was Corona on spring! There, days were more enduring than Arendelle's and much brighter. People walked from side to side, watching the large amount of food and curious stuff on the shelves. There was the bachelor who rushed to buy his supplies, the lady of the house discussing the price of bread with the baker, Monsignor walked proudly with a book of theology under his arm and a couple of sweethearts walked happily taking each other hand. On the square, the children played and scampered happily, sinking their hands into the fresh water of the fountain and sprinkling each other, there were also street musicians who offered to play songs in exchange for a coin.

But the most precious thing about Corona was its streets full of color. In Arendelle, in those days of spring, they had to be satisfied with tulips of straight and thin stem next to small primroses in pots. Instead, the roofs and balconies of Corona overflowed with flowers and herbs of bright colors that shone like the sun of its flag. Dense creepers grew on their walls and climbed to the flowers on the balconies that seemed to be playing kisses. Anna had grown up in a palace with splendid halls and many works of art, yet she believed to have not seen anything so beautiful in her life.

The gates of the castle were guarded by two soldiers with impeccable armor and a serious martial continent. When Anna reached the gates, they closed in front of her. After days in the forest, her dress was dirty and tattered, moreover, her beautiful face covered with dirt made her look more like a peasant than a princess.

—I am Anna of Arendelle—She said irritated as the guards laughed. —I must see the kings.

—We'll take you to them,— They replied.—But be warned if what you say is not true. The kings are not for jokes and if you lie you are going to spend a good night in the dungeon.

She passed into a magnificent hall with large windows that allowed the sunlight to spread all over the space. In the background, sitting on marble thrones, the kings of Corona where holding hands and watched the strange visitor. When she approached the queen, Princess Anna stood petrified and almost fell on her back. She looked at her mother's face with the same melancholic attitude she remembered as a child, but it was not Queen Idunna who was opposite her, but her sister, Queen Arianna. Breaking the protocol, and in spite of her ragged appearance, the queen immediately discovered who she was, stood up and pressed her against her warm chest. Immediately, the king covered them with his enormous arms:

— Dear Anna! What a surprise— Exclaimed the queen. — How did you get here by yourself alone?  
Anna understood perfectly the word "alone" and felt what it means. Then she told them her life and how she had come there, hoping to meet her dear sister.

—It may be — Said the king— Queen Elsa knows she is welcome and if she is in trouble, she can count with us. As for you, you can wait here, if you wish. I'll have an alcove ready for you.

They sent her a bath and gave her precious silk and muslin dresses. When she got out pruce from her room, her white skin seemed to shine by itself. Enchanted by the beauty of the place, she wanted to visit one of the gardens with view of the sea. Although she had been on the coast all her life, that was the first time she felt the salt breeze. A handsome young gentleman followed her and cut her off.

— Hey, what's up.— He said with a wicked smile.

—Hello!—She replied, pleased.

—You must be the Princess Anna of whom everyone is talking— He commented and gallantly kissed her delicate white hand. —You're actually more beautiful than I remember.

—And I have a boyfriend— She said suspiciously.

Prince Eugene laughed, cause it reminded him about old vices and better times.

—Easy, sweetheart. I know that I have a reputation as Don Juan, but since a while, my heart belongs to one woman and I really hope that it continues to be so.

The princess turned her head and saw a slim young woman, white and beautiful, looking out at the terrace in the evening sun. "Elsa!" She shouted and almost make her faint with the hug she gave to her. She looked at her, It was not Elsa! but Princess Rapunzel. It was the second time she confused her own family on the same day. But the princess of Corona did not take it wrong, on the contrary, she got very happy to see her cousin and after that embarrassing episode, they began to get along pretty well. Anna told the prince and the princess her adventure from the day she got out for looking for truffles, what happened at Arendelle and how she looked for her sister.

During her confinement, Rapunzel had read all the books within her reach, and by the time she reached Corona he had read many more; She had spent much of her life with a witch and knew a little magic. So when Anna referred to the Aurora borealis and everything that happened afterwards, Rapunzel got thoughtful. "I think I read something about it, but I don't remember where" she told her cousin. She offered Anna to stay long enough to find out what had happened, so that not only did he expect news of her sister, she could also find out something that could help her regain peace in her kingdom:

—There are indeed good people in the world! —Thought the princess of Arendelle.

Thus, the two princesses searched among all the books of the library of the castle. They spent whole days and nights getting their noses between volumes of all subjects. Along the way they found fascinating stories, although did not stop to contemplate them, they also knew about spells, innocent or terrible ones, in dusty specimens. But nothing about a northern light which made people violent. Weeks went by: they searched and searched, but were not successful. One night the princesses were about to give up and go to sleep, they were both pale and their eyes were so heavy they hardly held them open. Anna ran her fingers carelessly over a pile, playing with the feel of leather on her fingertips, she did not even realize when she began to leaf through a little book of myths and legends of the world. Then her eyes widened so that her orbits nearly popped out. He shook Rapunzel's shoulder, halfway between this world and the world of dreams.

In that way they found the story that you and I already know well: That about the genie and the horrible mirror which made people be the worst of themselves, and how small crystals resembling snowflakes could get stuck in the eyes and heart of men, for it was only a small piece to turn and behave evil.

Rapunzel looked at her, jumped up, and with a smiling voice yelled: "We have something!" However, Anna was not very convinced, after all, it was just children's tale.

—How! After all you've been through, do you think tales cannot tell the truth? —Inquired the Princess of Corona.

Anna remembered memories forgotten long ago. She knew that story: As a child she had asked her mother to read it several times before bed, it had been one of her favorite stories, she had even read it multiple times in her long leisure times, when Elsa refused to play with her. But, as with many people when they grow up, she had forgotten much of the stories of her childhood. Now that she was a young woman, those stories took on a completely different meaning: they were no longer mere entertainment, apparently some fairy tales had a lot of truth.

As the days passed, Anna had another uneasiness: she remembered Elsa and Kristoff more and more often. How she missed them! They never came to the kingdom and she were afraid that something bad happened to them; This way she could not close an eye at night. The kings, Rapunzel and Eugene offered her to stay as long as she wanted, but she, always restless, could not take any more and one day decided to continue the search for her loved ones. So she spoke to the kings and asked them for a good horse along with provisions to continue the journey.

"I must find Elsa and Kristoff," Princess Anna said. His uncles and cousins saddened, but more sooner than later they prepared Maximus, the strongest and most courageous steed in the whole kingdom, with an escort of Her Majesty's Company of Hussars, clad in gilded armor and saber to the belt, to protect her in her way. Anna got her things ready, prepared to leave, and said goodbye to Rapunzel and her husband. At that moment, Queen Arianna arrived with a small object in her hand that she handed to Princess Anna:

—This belonged to my sister. — Said the queen. —Your father gave it to her one Christmas night when you two were still very young, but the last time she came here, she left it forgotten. I think your sister should have it, when you see her, remind her that she will always be welcome in Corona.

—I will.— said Anna, and when she looked at it, she discovered a gold ring crowned with a great ruby, polished to perfection. It had an inscription Anna could not understand, for it looked like little worms dancing with flies in a very funny way.  
She drew the horse and set off guarded by the horsemen. Rapunzel and Eugene rode beside her until they reached the limits of the kingdom, where they stopped. The Princess of Arendelle continued her way as she waved her hand and clung tightly to the horse with the other:

—Good luck, Anna, we are waiting for you, Elsa and Kristoff soon!— Rapunzel shouted to her as she went away.


	6. 4 Anna is kidnapped

**Forth story: Anna is kidnapped**

They rode along a spruce and cedar forest. They crossed the Great Mountain Range by a passage between two low hills of rocky summits. On the other side, trees were less tall, of a bright and intense green; They crossed warm areas of sunlight to penetrate into leafy and fresh groves. As they advanced, noticed that the heat was increasing. In the distance, saw boughs of red brambles and blue vineyards: That was indeed a precious country. Those were the first days of April, when the sun shines brightly but it is a mistake to leave the coats behind because there is still a fresh wind. It was such a pleasant day that princess and hussars decided to relax and walk in silence, to the sound of hard hulls, enjoying everything around them. Tremendous surprise they got when, not far from where they were, there were terrible groans that made them goose bumps. As they drew nearer, they discovered a man wounded halfway:

—Help me please! —He begged as soon as he saw them, trapped in the middle of the road; A rotten log had fallen on him and crushed his leg.

The princess took pity on the poor man and ordered his escorts to pick up the log. The man screamed loudly, they checked him, although his leg ached horribly, it looked like it had not been broken. With damp eyes, he thanked and praised the princess's kindness.

— Is there anything else I can help you with?— Anna asked.

—Yes, please, you could disarm your guards and deliver everything you have.

There was a great crash and her heart skipped a beat, she watched as the two directions of the road lit up in flames, high as a house, red and terrible. She looked at another man, identical in appearance to the "wounded" one, pointing a gun at her head. Another, with long mustaches, played with his brilliant knife on the captain's throat. A huge, stout black man whipped a whip with such fury that even the noble Maximus froze. The other horses were so frightened that they overthrew their horsemen and went out in terror. He took the hussars and tied them tightly to the trunk that only a couple of minutes ago they had lifted

— Gold, gold! —shouted one of the twins, in whose face they reflected the reddish flames. —But how rich, how rich you look; yes, yes, I recognize these uniforms, these are horsemen from the Kingdom of Corona.

—Are we in front of a princess, Mr. Stabbington?— Asked the black man.

—That's right, Mr. Darfur.

—That would increase their value.— said with the coolness of an accountant facing his notebook.

— It's not the princess I remembered from Corona, but she definitely looks like. What do you say, sweetheart? Would you like to have fun with us? Augh! —He screamed as a fifth man tugged on his sideburns.

— Mr. Stabbington, control your manners. Can't you see we're in front of a girl with a noble cradle?

Anna made great efforts to conceal, for she felt that her heart would come out of her body. She looked at the young man with brown skin and wide shoulders holding a flame in the palm of his hand, bringing it to the face of the other bandit to frighten him. He tugged harder and pulled him aside, bowed to the princess, and spoke to him in exaggerated manner:

—Excuse me, Your Excellency. The Stabbington brothers may be excellent workers, but have such a low education that they can barely read their names. We are just a small group of gentlemen of fortune who humbly ask for a contribution to our community. In return, we guarantee that you will be able to cross our lands safely.

She understood that the term "gentlemen of fortune" was just other words to refer to a vulgar bandit. Unfortunately, Anna could be very vague, her hands trembled and sweated when she discovered that she had left much of the money in Corona. Annoyed and nervous, she tried to reason with the bandit chief, saying she had no money to hand over.

—Do not worry, Princess, we understand and I'm sure we'll come to an agreement. You see, winter has been very hard and hunger does not forgive; the five of us have struggled to earn a living. Now that I see, your officers look quite fat. How about if we stay with them and in return you can go free?

The poor soldiers turned pale and trembled out of control. The princess was astonished to hear him and got furious. She wanted to get out of that situation as soon as possible, fly away and lose from their sight as soon as possible Even so, Anna was a very good girl and by no means would have abandoned her men at the mercy of those evildoers; Then she flatly refused.

—In that case, —Replied the chief of the bandits. — I am afraid there is only one her with her own cloak and mount her to one of our horses!

— Wait, no!— She scream. She kicked and slapped, but the bandits finally got her off the horse, put her down and tied her with the cloak she wore. When she was still, the the black Darfur approached and examined her from head to toe.

—Cute figure, pretty eyes, strong teeth, perfect health: If we go to Basra we could give at least ten thousand dinars.

—Ten thousand! — Exclaimed the chief of the bandits.— Dear Princess, since you have been served all your life, from this moment you will dedicate your life to serve. Gentlemen, we're headed to Basra.

Anna was bundled with rage and sadness, and used words that she never thought she would use in her life. She thought of Kristoff, of Elsa, and a tear slid down her cheeks.

They headed east when, at two days, an unexpected frost struck: it did not snow, but the air was sharp and made the bones tremble. Tired and hungry, she remembered her sister and for the first time and the princess felt a spark of joy: "Maybe Elsa is near and she is looking for me", she thought.

It was night and the bandits stopped to rest and eat. They tied the girl to a tree more or less apart. The chief of the bandits waved his hands, lit a pile of firewood and the others sat around. Anna listened to the laughter and commotion of those men who happily passed a long bottle that, after a while, made them more calm and cheerful; Darfur and the leader of the bandits took only a few sips. When they got meek enough, the bandits chief sneaked up on Anna with a plate of hot broth in his hand.

—Listen, child.— He said. — They won't hurt you, I will not allow them. Not meanwhile I don't get angry, in that case I will. Just be good and nothing will happen.

The princess did not answer, just stared at him as she grabbed the soup plate and her face turned red.

-—What are you thinking about? —He asked.

—In the brainless barbarians like you! Why do you think it's good to sell a person for some sad coins? Is life bought with gold and silver? But wait until my sister comes, you'll see that she puts you in your place.— Then she remained silent, thinking that perhaps it was not appropriate to the man to know that his sister was the Snow Queen and merely looked at him defiantly.

—I got used to being threatened by royalty. What about your people? I have seen more than one noble mounted on horseback with sword or pistol, injuring or killing others not precisely in self-defense.

— And you think all the nobles are like that? Is that why you want to sell me? Seriously, you are barbarians.— She said, furious and sad at the same time. — If you had a little heart, you would not do what you plan to do with me.

The bandit looked at her closely and noticed that her teeth were chattering as her lips, feet and hands turned blue. During her capture, she had resisted in such a way that no one noticed when she had lost her shoes. After days in the cold, her body began to freeze.

— How long has the girl been like this?— He asked the other bandits, but no one knew how to respond. — Idiots! - Sentenced. — A sick slave is worth half, a dead one is worth nothing. Why no one has given her boots?

He returned to the princess with a pair of old gloves and boots in his hand. When he wanted to hold her foot, she was about to kick him:

—Calm down! If you continue like this, you will die of cold; let me help you.

Anna reluctantly agreed. The bandit wrapped her feet in both hands. Immediately, the girl noticed a pleasant warmth spread over her icy and trembling feet, which regained their color and mobility. The same thing happened when he took her hands and face, so it seemed to Anna that they flashed slightly; Was truly comforting. The man stopped and left the gloves and boots to the side of the girl: "Put them on, if you freeze again and I will not help you," said as he walked away.

Anna, curious as she was, would have asked more about it, but she felt too tired. As soon as she put on his boots and gloves, she took the soup in one gulp, feeling a pleasant warmth in her stomach; She curled up on the floor and immediately fell asleep.

A week passed smoothly and the frost subsided. The leader of the bandits, who introduced himself as Tareq, soon sympathized with the princess and after a few days, untied her and allowed her to mount Maximus, although under the warning of not trying to escape. At night, they stopped to rest, but not before leaning over their mouths the bottle that turned everyone in a good mood. Anna tried it once and felt a liquid that was cold in the mouth but when it reached the throat it burned, from there, did not want to take it again.

A strange fact among a gang of evildoers was that, after dark, they enjoyed listening to stories. Maybe because the Darfur had talent to count the most incredible ones. Sometimes, when he was especially in good mood, Tareq, the chief of the bandits, would stir up the flames at will, and embers would take on figures of fauns, goblins, swordsmen, and endless beasts. Later, Anna also telled some of her favorites, in this way, she gained the sympathy of her captors.

One night in particular, Darfur told a legend that made the princess pay special attention. He talked about a magic mirror and the Cave of Wonders:

"Know well, brothers of fortune, that this mirror still exists, but its pieces are scattered in many places of this world, places that would make the bravest man tremble on his legs. Many kings would give all their treasures only for a piece of that mirror; For he thinks that he who knows how to use it could destroy all his enemies without having to strike a single blow with his own sword, it would not be necessary if your enemies destroy each other. But who would be able to discover its secrets and control their power? Who would even be able to find it? Would you enter the Cave of Wonders that shelters the treasures of a thousand kings but swallows men like a hungry tiger? Would we be brave or foolish in seeking that power?

—We are not afraid of anything, we would send the mirror to hell and would have all the gold.— Answered the twins.

—You loose your time, drunk men.— The chief of the bandits replied. —I have lived in Agrabah and I know its surroundings well: I have seen incredible things, it's true, but nothing like a cave flooded with treasures with a magic mirror that drives people crazy.

— Do you think it's just what you see? — Darfur asked.— A man whom the flames do not do him any harm says so.

— I'm more worried about what I do not see, my friend; but people do not need a magic mirror to just see the bad things.

Anna was silent, attentive to everything the bandits said. She excused herself to go to the bathroom and left as soon as they were finished.

—Remember that if you try to escape, we will go for you— Said the chief of thieves.

But a minute later, the man felt little taps on the back of the neck, it was Princess Anna, who threw stones to get his attention. The young man got up and went into the grove wondering what was happening. Anna took him to a secluded spot where only the sounds of night birds, cicadas, and the gurgle of a nearby stream were heard.

—What your friend says is real. — said the princess.

—Yes, of course, you want to fool me.— He paused.— Have you seen it?

—Yes I saw it. Well, not the mirror exactly, but what it does. Someone bewitched my kingdom and all of a sudden, they all turned furious at my sister.

The thief did not understand what she was talking about, so Anna told him all her adventure from the morning she left the castle to how she ended up there with him. She did it with such luxury of detail, without omitting anything, that Tareq stopped questioning instantly if she was telling the truth. He thought for a while, looking at her from time to time.

—So you want to find the mirror to help your sister, the Snow Queen, and get your home back?

—I know it sounds crazy, but it's true.

The young man remained silent, thoughtful, until finally he spoke:

—Okay, now listen to me, Princess Anna: I'm on your side no matter what. From the moment you let your guards go, I imagined you were not like other nobles. But do not get confused, I still intended to sell you at a good price until you spoke to me. Now consider me your friend. I tell myself: Tareq, you put yourself on Anna of Arendelle's side and she will get yours; Help her reach Agrabah and find the Cave of Wonders and she with her sister will intercede with Sultan Ababwa to allow you to keep your head on your shoulders.

She was confused, it seemed a desperate thing she was asking, he, who could burn anything at will.

—Take me to Agrabah and what I can do for you, I will.— She said, and the bandit clenched his fist in victory. Then he regained his seriousness, approached the princess, and whispered.

—Now that everything is agreed upon, my dear Anna, we must be astute. You can trust old Darfur, but if the rest of those scoundrels find out about our destinations they'll cut our necks while we sleep. As soon as the wine effects and they fall asleep, we will take our horses and run until they can no longer reach us. As for you, you can not ride very fast dressed like that, I will give you something more suitable to ride as God commands.

So, as soon as the bandits succumbed to the effects of the wine and fell asleep. Tareq woke Darfur: they rode the horses, dressed Anna in men's clothing, and abandoned the bandits in the woods. They galloped until the clouds were painted orange and the sun rose. They stopped in a meadow of green pastures and trees in fruit, they wanted to rest, but soon an unexpected visit would force them to move.


End file.
